Ask These Questions Before Choosing Your Digital Marketing Agency

While many new business owners excel in their fields, they don’t have the time, expertise to create a marketing strategy or plan nor do they have the time to invest in learning those skills.

But one often overlooke issue is that in finding the right digital marketing agency,  how important asking the right questions is.

As a business startup owner, you want an agency that perfectly fits your company. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here are a few essential questions you should ask before choosing the right marketing agency.

What Is the Agency’s Specialization?

When you’re looking for a marketing agency, it’s important to ask them what they specialize in. Why? Because not all agencies are created equal.

Some specialize in digital marketing and social media, others focus on PR and traditional advertising, while others offer a broad range of services. So, it’s important that you find an agency that works with your specific needs and business goals.

Remember that in marketing there’s no “one size fits all.” You can’t expect to only run a PR campaign and see business results, just like you can’t expect to spend money on paid campaigns and gain brand recognition. Marketing is a mix that requires different skills and methods.

Knowing this information up front will help ensure that both parties are on the same page from the start and will save time, and money, and shorten the learning curve.

What Makes Them Qualified to Manage Your Online Presence?

Marketing is more than just creating ads and posting on social media although that’s a part of it. A good marketer will have experience in research and analysis, as well as the ability to use that data to create a web presence that will attract Search Engines across the board. They’ll also be able to identify trends in your industry, which can help inform future strategies.

What’s Their Pricing Structure?

Pricing is often a sensitive topic for both businesses and customers. Because of this, you must have an open dialogue with your agency about pricing from the beginning so there are no surprises down the line when they send over an invoice with a large number attached!

Ask a marketing agency about its pricing structure can also help you understand what you’re getting for your money.

No one likes unpleasant surprises, especially when it comes to additional charges. Some agencies charge additional fees for design packages, brand strategies, PR outreach, or other services that may be considered “extras.”

Make sure you understand these fees, so you aren’t be surprised later.

How Will They Measure Success?

When evaluating agencies, it’s important to ask them how they will measure success. Do they use Google Analytics? Do they track sales? Do they monitor social engagement? These are all good questions to ask. 

There are two primary fields of Analytics:

Data-Based Performance KPIs

Non-data Performance Factors

Who Will Be the Main Point of Contact?

Before commiting to an agency, ensure you understand who your point of contact will be. You want to know if it will be a single person or an entire team working on your project.

You also want to find out how often you’ll be able to communicate with that person or group of people.

It’s not uncommon for agencies to have multiple team members working on different projects simultaneously, so consider asking about their process for managing multiple projects and ensuring everyone is up-to-date about what’s happening in all areas of the business.